It happened to me... memory loss

Memory loss can not only be frustrating, but also terrifying and alienating, particularly if you have experienced a traumatic injury...

Memory loss can not only be frustrating, but also terrifying and alienating, particularly if you have experienced a traumatic injury or event.

What's normal?

Most people experience some minor memory lapses, especially when they are tired, suffering from anxiety or depression, trying to juggle too many things, feeling ill or because they are simply getting older.

All these reasons are normal. However, memory problems can be more significant, particularly if they are caused by physical, psychological and emotional trauma.

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The loss of memory may be temporary to enable a person to cope with the trauma or it may be more permanent due to a head or brain injury or stroke, for example.

Causes of memory loss

Professor Gus A Baker, consultant clinical neuropsychologist at Liverpool's Walton Centre, says there are a number of conditions that can result in impaired memory.

'These will cause sudden memory loss, where you either forget events that happened before the trauma – retrograde amnesia – or you forget everything that happened after the trauma – anterograde amnesia,' he says.

Long- and short-term memory

Memory loss can be due to problems with encoding (recording), storing or retrieving a memory in the brain.

'Most people with amnesia, especially that caused by head injuries, have problems with their working memory – a term we now use instead of short-term memory,' explains Professor Baker, author of Memory and Epilepsy.

'They forget conversations, people's names, where they put things and, in more serious cases, they can forget routes or procedures they have done many times before.'

'Long-term memory, or the ability to remember important events that happened some time ago, can also be affected by an acquired head injury or any of the conditions mentioned above.

'These conditions affect a person's ability to encode information because the hippocampus structure of the brain – which plays a vital role in consolidating information from the working memory to the long-term memory and in spatial navigation – is sensitive to damage and trauma.'

Epilepsy

People with epilepsy commonly have problems with memory loss.

'Epilepsy can be caused by underlying damage, due to a head injury or brain tumour that has already affected the temporal lobe. This is where a large portion of memory is located in the brain,' Professor Baker explains.

'Epileptic seizures themselves can also disrupt memory functioning and some anti-epileptic medications may interfere with memory functioning as they can affect the speed at which the brain can process information.'

My story

Imogen Cauthery, 27, of north London suffers from memory problems - both with her working and long-term memory - as a result of a road traffic accident and the ensuing epilepsy.

'At the age of nine, I was crossing the road en route to the swimming pool with my mum, sister and best friend when I was knocked down by a car.

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'I had a brain haemorrhage, suffered severe injury to my hippocampus and was in a coma for two weeks,' explains Imogen.

'No-one expected me to come out of the coma, but ever since I did I've suffered from severe memory and learning difficulties.'

Repercussions

'I was once known as the maths queen, but after I came out of the coma I could barely remember anything before the accident in 1996.'

Imogen finds she has chronic problems with her working memory, with recent memories most likely to be lost.

However, some of her more remote or deeply ingrained memories have been preserved.

'I can remember certain key events in my long-term memory after the accident, such as the judge's hammer going down at the end of the lengthy court case over the accident and running for the bus, even though it wasn't planning to depart, which was embarrassing for me,' she says.

'So as well as significant events, a key memory trigger for me now is feeling humiliated.

'I think, for me, one of the key effects of memory loss has been losing confidence and self-esteem.'

To help control her seizures, Imogen underwent brain surgery last year, in which part of her hippocampus was removed.

'I have the greatest problems with my short-term and spatial memory,' she explains.

'For example, I was in a hotel in San Francisco recently and a man told me the price of a meal and a few seconds later I couldn't remember.

'I asked him to repeat it until eventually I had to write it on a piece of paper.

'I also volunteer in a shop and last week I put a vase on the shelf. But when a customer asked me where the vase went I couldn't remember where I'd put it a few minutes earlier.

'Yet it is important for me to continue working, because it offers me the opportunity to take initiative and be independent, which helps me be happy.'

After the accident, Imogen was able to understand written and spoken words and even understood that she has a memory disorder. But there have been dark times.

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Life with memory loss

'Four months after the accident, I went back to school very gradually - spending just one hour a day there at first. I could remember some of my times tables and how to spell, but I'd gone from the top to the bottom of the class.

'I was very, very depressed; sometimes I'd be crying all day. All my friends were getting straight A*s and I was getting Ds and occasionally Cs.'

Despite her setbacks, Imogen graduated in 2009 with a BSc in animal behaviour and welfare, and hopes for a career in wildlife conservation or mental healthcare.

Now living on her own, she has developed a number of key strategies to help her cope in everyday life.

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'I get a bit scared, but my parents live nearby and I have a porter and a support worker to help me,' she says.

'But my main tool is a notepad. It's particularly useful because when I read a book, I can't remember the plot so I make a note of it and where I'm up to in the novel.

'I write down every event and appointment, hour by hour, to prevent anxiety and use the GPS on my mobile phone because often I am unable to find my way.

'I still get embarrassed when I can't recognise people or remember things from one minute ago, so it's important to find tools to help me cope in everyday life.'

How to cope with short-term memory loss

There are many ways to help people with memory problems store and recall memories more effectively, as well as adapt to living with memory impairment.

Kathy Bairstow, senior advice and information services officer at Epilepsy Action recommends following a set routine, adapting your surroundings, using external memory aids and mnemonics; and improving general wellbeing.

'Following a routine and doing set things at certain times of the day are vital as you can get used to what to expect, which helps reduce the demands placed on your memory,' advises Kathy.

'Make a note of your regular activities in your diary or calendar.

'You will have less need to use your memory by adapting your surroundings. You can do this by keeping a notepad by the phone to take messages, a notice board and assigning a set place or labelled cupboard to keep things, such as keys.'

The charity also recommends using the following external memory aids:

lists

tape recorder

notebook or sticky notes

electronic organiser/app

electronic pager

timer, alarm clock or mobile phone alarm

pill reminder box for medicines

a wall chart or wipe clean memo board

photo album or memory book.

'Getting used to a new memory aid may take you a little while,' Kathy explains. 'But the more you use a memory aid the easier it will become.

'A mnemonic is a verbal or visual aid that helps to remember information.

'You can also identify memory triggers by visually pairing items, such as in the peg method - this is where pegs are used to help you to remember a list of items.

'Each number is given a rhyming visual cue: one – bun, two – shoe, three – tree, four – door and so on. Using this method you would visualise the first thing you want to remember and associate it with a bun.

'Other people try to remember information in the form of a story they have made up. Whatever is relevant and works for you is good.'

People with memory problems can feel vulnerable and insecure, especially as they often have to rely on others for help.

Kathy recommends using anxiety management and relaxation techniques to help combat this.

'In the UK, your GP will be able to give you advice on where you can get information on this,' she says.

The materials in this web site are in no way intended to replace the professional medical care, advice, diagnosis or treatment of a doctor. The web site does not have answers to all problems. Answers to specific problems may not apply to everyone. If you notice medical symptoms or feel ill, you should consult your doctor - for further information see our Terms and conditions.

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